Galilee, Sea of

Galilee, Sea of

A harp-shaped freshwater lake in the district of Galilee in northern Palestine, given various names throughout history: “Sea of Chinnereth” (or “Chinneroth”), from the Hebrew word for a harplike instrument (Num 34:11; Josh 12:3; Josh 13:27); “Sea of Tiberias” (John 6:1; John 21:1); “Lake of Gennesaret” (Luke 5:1); and “waters of Gennesaret” (1Macc 11:67). Elsewhere, it is referred to simply as “the lake” (Luke 5:2; Luke 8:22-33) or “the sea” (John 6:16-25). It appears as the “Sea of Galilee” in (Matt 4:18; Matt 15:29 and Mark 1:16; Mark 7:31). The Jordan River, carrying the melted snows of Mt. Hermon, enters the lake from the north, flows through its thirteen-mile length, and continues its course after leaving the lake along the southwestern shoreline. The water surface of the lake varies according to the season and the amount of rainfall. At its widest part, the lake measures about eight miles, and its circumference is about thirty-two miles. Due to the height of the hills (1,200 to 1,500 feet) surrounding the below-sea-level lake, abrupt temperature shifts occur, causing sudden and violent storms, as the NT accounts indicate (Matt 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25; Matt 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:16-21).

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